The Haruno Clan
by sltystudio
Summary: Sakura loves her clan. Sure, they're a little strange, what with their divination, their strange tongues, strange clothes and strange foods. Sure, her cousins keep trying to keep her away from the Uchiha kid while practically adopting the Uzumaki kid. And sure, they keep insisting on giving her training from hell. But family is family, right? Reincarnation!OC.
1. a strange clan

**1**

The Haruno clan is one filled with people with gifts, though most would not take their abilities as such. Some see spirits, some hear them. Some have visions. Some speak in strange tongues unfamiliar to anyone. Others speak in stranger tongues that many members of the clan can communicate in. Some make strange foods. Some wear strange clothes. Some know things about the natural world that no one had ever known prior.

Many members of the clan believed it to be the work of strange new _kekkei genkai_. They were not a clan of ninja, nor did they necessarily want to be one either. Furthermore, they wanted to avoid the costs associated with becoming a ninja. Beyond that, the abilities of the clan were too diverse to attribute it to one sole limit. Eventually they settled on it being a gift from the Gods. Since then, while they avoid using these gifts to kill, they do monetize their skills.

The clan is scattered across the Fire Country, with families of ten or so each opening up tea rooms. For a small fee, one could come into a quaint, plush room inviting conversation and relaxation. Plain white china cups are used and loose leaf tea that came from the small agricultural-based towns in Fire Country.

In a small town a few hours west of the bustling village of Kohana, holds one of the most popular tea rooms. The tea rooms are numerous, housed in a building that feels out of place in the small town of simple homes and bustling estates. For one, the building is tall, shooting up to three stories. For another, inside the various tea rooms are strange crystals, stones, jewellery, figurines, and books written in tongues those outside the clan could not understand.

Eliciting most of the popularity for the tea rooms is the clan's most popular diviner, Momo Haruno. Momo is barely ten years old with hair like summer peaches. Her father can see spirits. Her mother, before dying, was famed for being able to pick up on any emotion someone was feeling. Momo feels like she doesn't have a gift, aside from maybe manipulation and deception. Tea reading is an easy art with those skills. She hangs around on the first floor of the building with the intent of eavesdropping to discover personal information about the customers. Whatever information she gathers, she later incorporates it into the "psychic" tea reading. Then, she goes upstairs and puts on her dark green dress with the Haruno clan symbol, her green shawl to cover her hair, and a black mask her cousin Aki made for her and calls a _masquerade_ mask.

(It was strange things like this, vernacular that some clan members understood or none at all that made them feel like perhaps something else was at a work, but they did not want to prod. They would not, for fear of realizing something they did not want to just yet).

As for the actual reading itself, it goes something like this:

After a cup of tea has been poured, she has the customer drink half. She then shakes the cup and any remaining liquid is drained off into the saucer. She then finds whatever image or pattern in the tea leaves in the cup and shoots off a reading that incorporates any information she found out while spying on her guests.

Then she makes her reading.

Sometimes she finds a bear (expect a long period of travel), a bouquet (expect a happy marriage), or an umbrella (expect annoyance or trouble your way). It's usually an educated guess, but her customers nonetheless buy it. They leave satisfied most of the time (sometimes for the hell of it, she gives them a "bad" reading). These were all readings that her cousins and aunts and uncles could have easily given with more veracity than she could possibly conjure up. Yet she was the most popular one out of all her family members and that was because of her real gift. She could actually see people's future, and past, too. But not in the leaves.

Customers flock to her because sometimes, only sometimes, she'll come face to face with someone that looks a little too familiar and gets a flash of something - a piece of what's to come, she learns later on - she babbles it out like a prophecy. Certain customers are shocked, others treat it like a joke. Because of the few of them, she suddenly became the most popular reader in Fire Country.

It nearly got her killed when she gave her first one to a man who smelled of rain, blood and alcohol. He returned a few months later reeking more of alcohol and blood than rain. He demanded she tell him more of his future, but she makes sure no vision comes. He would surely kill her if he heard it, so she bites her tongue until she tastes blood. He eventually grows bored and leaves her nearly dead. It takes her months to heal, and eventually all that is left to heal is a broken arm and a scabbing scar on her upper lip. Now that she could get back to her feet, she would be leaving in a few days to move in with her uncle and his wife in Kohana to ensure the man could not attack her again for her gift.

(Momo doesn't believe that she has a gift. She think it's more a curse, anyway).

Her uncle is named Kizashi and he is the first in their clan to be born without a gift. He eventually became a ninja and married a woman named Mebuki who was one, too. Momo's father tells her that he's the opposite of him: laid-back and enjoys telling awful jokes and puns. They look similar though, her father admits, with both having her grandfather's dark skin and her grandmother's red hair.

When he comes to pick Momo up outside of the small house she shares with her father, a large circle of family is surrounding her. There are aunts shoving lists of things she ought to send them when she's settled in, and younger cousins tugging at her shirt begging her to not leave. Eventually her cousin Arata slings his tawny arm around her and pulls her towards the awaiting couple. Ignoring the indignant squawks of their aunts, he smiles at the Kizashi and Mebuki and greets them. Soon after, her father joins the small half-circle.

They all exchange pleasantries, and at some point Mebuki jokingly asks her for a tea reading. Momo is not like her mother who can read people's emotions, but she can tell that at her uncle's pained look and Mebuki's confused one that the former was unaware about what happened. She obliges despite Arata's and Kizashi's protests. She brings Mebuki inside, sitting her down before getting some fresh tea ready. When it comes time to do the reading, she's tells Mebuki she sees an orchid. She's about to tell Mebuki something generic like to expect coming into some wealth in the near future until a vision seizes her. A child, little a girl fills her vision. She has a wide forehead and pink hair. She feels weak, she feels left behind by two figures Momo can't see. The girl feels alone. The girl grows stronger, but still feels so behind. Momo fights back the urge to spill out all the details regarding this child, nearly choking on her own tongue in the process. Her father makes a move towards her, but she regains her composure and waves him away.

Momo looks up at Mebuki and says, "You're pregnant, and you'll give birth in the spring." Then before she could stop herself she adds in, "Name her Sakura."

* * *

 **A/N:** This was definitely inspired by the Clan of Samsara (go read it), the many incredible SI!OC fics, and the many Sakura-gets-strong fics out there.


	2. a birth, a death

**2**

The one thing that Mebuki hated about her husband was his utter lack of communication when came to his clan. She understood it intellectually, yes, after years of growing up being ridiculed and having women literally run away after learning so much of a grain about the weird things his clan did, it made sense that he would clam up about the smallest detail. It was hard to grow out of years of that, Mebuki understood that much. But that did not mean he could just spring that same weird shit onto her and expect her to just roll with it.

Momo stares at Mebuki, then at Kizashi. Then she sighs. "You didn't tell her, did you?"

Kizashi shrugs sheepishly.

"What do you mean they'll be here _for an entire week?_ "

In addition to being a bizarre clan known for their divination, the Haruno was a clan known for its celebrations, specifically celebrations of births. To them, births were the most sacred moments in a person's life. As such, when new additions to the clan arrived or a member reached another year on the earth, they celebrated. At times it was a to a ridiculous degree, but a celebration was not a celebration unless one put their all into it. So when Mebuki gives birth to a baby girl she names Sakura (she tries to ignore what Momo told her nine months prior), she prays for the best when news come that her husband's _entire clan_ would come to them to celebrate.

At first they tell her that she should come to them, to visit the clan that lived in northern most point of Fire Country where the clan head lives. It was a place they consider their homeland and where the largest estate that could house all the members was located. She refuses; explaining she worries a newborn could not handle a trip to someplace so cold. When they accept, she thinks she's out of their hair. Then, Kizashi receives a letter indicating the clan would simply go to them. All thirty-nine of them.

"We can only house six people at most, Kizashi!" Mebuki exclaims. "Six! We can't fit forty of them!"

"Thirty-nine, actually," Kizashi replies automatically. At her annoyed look he flashes her a sheepish smile.

Momo frowns. "How are they going to get through border patrol?"

"They're a non-ninja clan, it's fine."

"I don't understand why we need to do this anyway," Mebuki grumbles. "I mean I'm flattered they want to meet her, but do they _all_ have to?"

"It's a clan thing, honey. I'm sorry." He sighs. "We can just find them all hotels, I'm sure it'll be fine."

They don't find them hotels; rather the clan decides to take residence in their backyard. The home, to be sure, was humble. The backyard, however, bleed into one the many expansive forest clearings home to Kohana. The clan managed to squeeze its fifty or so members in this backyard, decorating the grassy field in large conical tents made of animal skins and wooden poles.

While they're setting up the tents, Momo and Mebuki steps outside to watch. "They're beautiful," Mebuki murmurs in wonder. She's never seen anything like it.

Momo regards it solemnly. "They killed too many rabbits for this!"

They hear someone mutter defensively, "There was an infestation, you tree-hugger."

Momo makes a noise of protest. Mebuki smiles.

. . .

The actual birth celebration takes a week of preparation. On Monday all the aunties of the clan are in the markets of Kohana, haggling for cheaper prices on foods, flowers, and clothes. On Tuesday, The children and teens are in the forests, collecting flowers and herbs. On Wednesday, The grandfathers are decorating the Kizashi and Mebuki home in twinkling lights. On Friday, meanwhile the uncles are in the backyard, compiling long picnic tables together. On Saturday, The grandmothers of the clan are in the kitchen, preparing meals.

Finally it is Sunday, precisely a week after Sakura is born. Mebuki cradles the sleepy-eyed Sakura in her arms, and heads downstairs where she is greeted with unfamiliar smells and sounds. The house is glowing and glittering in hues of pink, green, orange, and yellow. The smell of food waifs through the air. There are barks of dogs and the laughter of children playing. There's chatter everywhere, in tongues Mebuki could not understand. People wear strangely shaped and strangely patterned garbs.

When Mebuki enters into the kitchen, she hears the sizzling of food meeting a heated pan. Incredibly, despite all the cooking that began yesterday evening, there was still cooking left to do! When she looks at the food being cooked, she's unable to recognize what it is. It all smells delicious, though. Before she could steal a taste, she's ushered out of the kitchen quickly, and forced into the living room to relax with the older members of the clan. Some wear their hair in intricate braiding patterns she's seen in Kumo, others in styles she's never seen. One takes Sakura from her and cradles her back and forth, softly singing in a language that somehow sounds nostalgic to Mebuki. Another takes Mebuki's hand and begins telling her stories about her life.

Soon after its nightfall and the ceremony begins.

The elder of the clan, an old bald man with a beard that is a mix of grey and red, takes Sakura from Mebuki and places her in a small wooden cradle. His wife, the kind woman who chatted with Mebuki until evening, carries a collection of crushed flowers -carnation, chrysanthemum, cypress, honeysuckle, lemongrass -and sprinkles it over Sakura. A petal tickles her baby's nose and she sneezes.

Mebuki looks at Kizashi for an explanation. He whispers, "For protection."

Then another older auntie comes, carrying a glass bottle with clear liquid and dropper. They drop precisely three drops on Sakura's forehead.

"So she may move onto this life with a clean slate," comes Kizashi's explanation.

Then, the clan elder speaks. "May you live a long life," he says, placing a kiss on Sakura's forehead.

Then in union, the clan shouts out, "May you live a long life!"

Then comes the celebration. Unfamiliar melodies are played on strange instruments. Members of the clan twist and twirl in dances Mebuki could only watch in awe. _And the food_. Oh, the food was incredible, and Mebuki has to remind herself to ask for recipes once everyone is sober.

By the end of the night, they receive three warnings from three different Uchihas regarding disorderly conduct and noise pollution. Ordinarily Mebuki would have been horrified, but she has too much fun and drank a bit too to care.

. . .

To her great surprise, Mebuki is going to miss the clan members and their constant presence in their home. It certainly made dealing with a newborn easy. If Sakura made so much as a peep, there would be someone there ready to help her. It was nice. So when it's time to wave the forty-six member strong clan off, and two younger members are clutching either leg of one of Kizashi's brothers legs, begging him to stay, Mebuki is not opposed to having them stay with them. Especially with the various reasons they offer for why they should stay back.

"Uncle Kizashi has lots of space, he's got four bedrooms and Aki and Momo can share!"

"They have better schools here, please, please, please."

"We can help keep Momo safe!"

"She can't deal with the cultural shock here, she's basically a country bumpkin!"

"We can help uncle Kizashi and auntie Mebuki with the newborn, raising a child is difficult for new parents!"

"Konaha doesn't have a family business yet!"

"I wouldn't be opposed to it," Mebuki says with a smile. Her husband flashes her a shock look. "Oh, hush, we need all the help we can with Sakura."

Eventually, they give in, letting the two stay.

"If they're as so much as a bother," their father warns, "Send them back immediately."

Mebuki smiles at them. She's not like them with their divination, nor does she really believe in it to be honest, nonetheless she feels like this was the right choice to make.

* * *

People like to call Arata an airhead, but it's not his fault. Honest. It's just that sometimes people say things that lead him to think about other things and then all of a sudden he's remembering a very, very, _very_ useful gadget. And—and he has to write it down _right now_ or else he's going to forget and he forgets it kills him for the rest of the day he's got to remember so he can make it! Because it doesn't exist yet and he has to make it exist right now.

So sometimes in the middle of a conversation he'll just tune out to catch that stray idea, that stray vision of a thing he's known his entire life but has never, ever seen before, and write it down. And sometimes it really, really, really bothers his friends and especially his family. But once he's actually made it, they get really happy. They get really, really, really happy when he sells the patent for it and makes lots of money out of it, too.

"Arata?"

A nudge.

"Arata, you there?"

A flick.

"Heellooooo?"

He blinks. Who was he talking to again? Oh, right. "Hi, Momo."

Momo sighs. "I was asking you a question."

"Ah," he nods, shoving his small black notebook and open into his back pocket. "Yeah?"

"Yes? You'll do it?" Momo looks surprised.

He doesn't have the heart to say, "No, I wasn't actually listening to you." He just smiles.

"Thanks, Arata, you're the best!" Then Momo hands him a bundle of blankets and disappears. He looks down and realizes that bundle is his baby cousin and he realizes that Momo has, yet again, swindled him into babysitting. How did she know all the right words to get his head in the clouds, like that? She was evil, that girl.

In his arms, Sakura gurgles.

"Right, Sakura-chan?" Arata coos at her. "She's evil! Pure evil!"

* * *

Death clings to Aki like burrs. Well, that wasn't exactly right. Rather, dead people cling to Aki. Her appearance did not help her case, either. If her twin brother was like fluffy clouds in a blue sky with his sea green and brown curly hair, she was the loud roar of thunder on a particularly stormy night with wispy, long black hair and dark. She would wonder at all if she was a Haruno had it not been her own green eyes, though hers were a dark, muddy sort of green. At times, Aki feels her appearance alone was the reason why even when she pretended she couldn't see them, ghosts would flock her. Some wanted her to help them pass on, others just wanted to mess with her. Aki was most fascinated by the ones that clung to the people that couldn't see them. So when she sees a girl with short brown hair and brown eyes and purple markings on her face following a guy with sad eyes—well, one sad eye, at least—and grey hair.

She waits for the grey haired man to begin walking. The girl walks, or rather floats, a meter behind him. Aki she crosses between them and stares up at the girl, effectively stopping her pursuit of the grey haired man. The girl stares back at her with a look curious. Aki waits until she can no longer see the grey haired man and asks, "Are you dead?"

The girl nods. Ah, at least she knew what she was. She hated breaking the news to the unknowing, it always broke her heart.

"Why haven't you left yet?"

The girl points to the direction where the man had gone.

"Do you need to tell him something?"

The girl nods.

"Do you want me to help you?"

The girl stares at Aki for a long, long time. Her eyes go glossy, and and then flashes the most breathtaking smile Aki's ever seen. In a hoarse voice the girl says, "Yes."

...

They talk until sunset. She learns the girl is named Rin and the man she was following killed her. He was her teammate. It was for good reason, Rin assures her. Aki also learns that Rin has another teammate, who supposedly died before her but she can't seem to find him all. Rin has a theory why, but does not continue. Aki promises to keep an eye out for him when they part, promising to meet back there tomorrow at noon.

Aki leaves, still ignorant of the reason why Rin insists on staying and not passing on, but she does not push.

"She will tell me when she's ready," she murmurs to herself, satisfied.

"Who are you talking to?" Aki jumps, twisting around to see her cousin Momo staring curiously at her. "Well?"

 _"A ghost."_

Momo flinches, and then glares at her. "T—that's not funny, Aki!"

 _"Sorry, sorry."_ Aki giggles.

Momo links arms with her and begins steering them in the direction of home. A comfortable silence falls between them until Momo asks, "Why do you insist on speaking that language, anyway?"

 _"Why don't you speak? It's your heritage, too,"_ Aki replies.

 _"That and, like, ten other languages I don't even understand,"_ Momo mutters. _"What's with this clan anyway? Seeing dead people,"_ Aki sticks her tongue at her for that, _"psychics, and weird languages. It's like we're cursed."_ She strokes her chin thoughtfully with her free hand and then adds, _"Well, not totally cursed. I'd say we have the best foods."_

Aki nods in agreement, half listening. In the corner of her eye, she sees a tall figure watching them curiously.

 _"There's a man staring at us,"_ she mumbles. When Momo turns her head to look she nudges her. _"Don't look. Don't bring attention to us. Let's stop talking in this language, OK?"_

 _"Why? What's the deal?"_

Aki feels her stomach twisting into knots. It's the same feeling she gets whenever her and Arata speak in that language and get overheard by some ninja passing through their town. They always look at them with a glint in their eyes she doesn't like.

"Just stop."

When the man disappears, she lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

. . .

After dinner, they retreat into the fields behind the Haruno home, settling in one of the tents an auntie insisted in leaving for Kizashi and Mebuki. Momo makes them all ginger tea and sit close to each other in a circle.

 _"Ginger tea? Really?"_ Aki says with a soft laugh. Ginger represented many things. It meant beauty, love and wealth. But most importantly it means power and success, which Aki had a feeling Momo wanted them to have lots of that.

 _"S—shut up!"_ Momo scowls at her. _"Anyway, we're meeting because of the vision I had a while ago about Sakura. We have to do something about."_

Arata slurps his tea loudly. Both Aki and Momo stare at him in disgust.

 _"Anyway,"_ Momo continues. _"She's going to become a ninja."_

 _"Like uncle and auntie?"_ Arata smiles. _"Cool!"_

Aki frowns. _"Does this mean she doesn't have a gift like uncle? Is that why she'll become a ninja?"_

Momo shrugs. _"Dunno. But the thing is she's going to pretty much suck at being a ninja until she gets an apprenticeship with, uh, you know those mountain guys?"_

 _"Mountain guys?"_ Arata chuckles. _"You mean_ Hokages _? Do you even pay attention in class, Momo?"_

 _"I just forgot what they're called, chill!"_ Momo huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. _"Anyway, the relative of one them is going to teach her and she'll be a really badass medic, but before then she'll pretty much suck. That's where we'll come in. I won't have my baby cousin's future squandered because she has a shitty teacher."_

 _"Who's her teacher?"_ Aki asks.

 _"Uh, some man with a mask and one eye,"_ Momo replies. _"I can't remember his name right now, but he's really powerful and he pretty much ignores her for her other teammates. We got to stop that."_

For some reason, Aki feels like she's met him before. She shrugs off that feeling.

 _"I've been meaning to read up on the ninja arts, and aunt Mebuki has a great collection,"_ Arata says. " _I'm in."_

Aki nods. _"Me too."_

 _"There's also one other thing,"_ Momo says solemnly. _"She'll get with a guy named Sasuke and have a kid named Salad. He's—that guy is awful. We have to stop it at all costs. She deserves better."_

Arata and Aki share a look. In unison they say, _"Salad?"_

 _"Salad,"_ Momo echoes gravely. _"He doesn't even stay to raise her, Sakura pretty much raises her alone."_

An unspoken promise to keep Sakura away from Sasuke at all costs passes between the three.

 _"I think this was productive,"_ Aki says, yawning. She moves to get up. _"Let's go, we have school tomorrow."_

She nearly falls back in her spot when she hears a fourth voice.

"Sorry to interrupt like this," the voice says. At first she thinks it's a ghost, but then her cousins start looking around for the voice. "But it's been bothering me all day. What kind of code are you all speaking in?"


End file.
